The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-06-24
VALUABLE EXPERIMENTS.
Why Calves Should Not be DeacOned Ever
If Not Fed Drop of Milk.

Why Calves Should Not be Deaconed Even
IF Not Fed Drop of MIX.
Profs. Henry and Armsby, of the
Wisconsin Experiment Station, have
been making a careful and elaborate
series of experiments in stock feeding.
Among others was one in raising 16
common calves picked up in the dairy
districts, that would have been deacOned
if they had not been reserved for bet
ter purpose, and butter making
farmer, by examining the facts in the
case, can see how he can make most
money from his calves by raising them,
without interfering with his regular
dairy business. Prof. Henry gives us
the facts covering four periods in the
year and the weight of the growth in
each and the cost of live meat during
each.
The first period, embracing IA weeks,
ended with the calves weighing 4, 494
pounds. We will suppose they cost 81
each, or $32. They were fed $28. 80
worth of ground oats. corn, wheat and
barley, bran, shorts, hay, corn fodder,
grass and pasture, together with 20, 645
pounds of thoroughly skinned milk.
If they were then worth five cents on
foot their value was $224.70. Deduct
the cost of them at 81 each, and the
value of the grain and forage, and we
find $163. 90 remaining to pay for the
milk, which would show it to be worth
20 cents per 100 pounds. Take another
view, that of charging the calves %
cents per 100 pounds of milk; add that
to other costs, and we find there was
$7O1 net profit in feeding each calf.
Compute the meat at four cents, ex-
penses the same, and we find there was
net profit of $4.21 on each calf if 25
cents per 100 pounds are charged fol-
the skim-milk, and it would make the
milk worth $40 cents per 100 pounds
if no sum is assigned as profit for calf.
Calves thus fed, it would seem, could
hardly fail to be worth as much as four
cents per pound anywhere, and more
than that in Eastern cities.
Let us take the calves at the end OF
the second period-after y more
weeks-and we find they weighed
6, 139 pounds, which, at four cents per
pound, would be S245.56. Deduct the
actual cost, including milk at % cents
per 100 pounds, and there is profit OF
| $77.54, or $4.84 per calf. or IS cents
! per 100 pounds for all the skim-milk
| fed in 26 weeks-if we call for a profit
| on no other food. From that time on
no milk was fed, and we find the calves
weighed at the end of y weeks more,
| 1921 pounds, and at four cents pei
pound they would be worth 1904. "a.
Cost up to that time $249.21; net gain,
k55. 60 or $3.47 per calf. This compu.
tation allows % cents per 100 pounds
for all the skim-milk eaten.
At the end of six weeks more, the
calves weighed 8, 1877 pounds; which, al
| four cents would make them worth
| 1925. 48; and it had cost 1916 to feed
| them for this period. Adding all the
costs, we find them 1922. 81, leaving
1871 or $2.07 per calf, net gain fol
feeding 30 weeks.
The lesson i'm this is, that the time
TO have sold the calves was at the end
Of the second period, ending December
! 21st, or probably little earlier in the
fall; for it seems that absence Of milk,
and presence of cold weather, made
| the growth of the last Is weeks cost
| $4443 more than the gain would sell
for. Keeping them Is weeks in winter
| gnawed that much into the profit o.
keeping them 20 weeks-during the
first and second periods. The butter.
making farmers viii see that the time
to make-money at ealf-feeding is when
the calves are young, when they have
milk, and when the weather IS warm.
The warmth they can give in winter Al
small cost, if they have the young
calves and the milk The boss les
son Is. Don't deacon the calves,
even if they are not fed a drop Of
/ milk. > / have no doubt that feeding
sweet whey instead of the sweet skim
milk, would have made it show up full
" half az valuable a the milk 4.
Smith. ia Rurat AcsO Iorher.